Customers pick up final print edition of the Chicago Defender

by Jul 18, 2019Chevy DTU, Chicago Crusader, DTU 2019, Elae Hill, NNPA, Sharon Washington, Team Young at Heart, Tedarius Abrams0 comments

By Tedarius Abrams, Sharon Joy Washington and Elae Hill

Wednesday, July 10 marked the final print edition of the historic Chicago Defender. At some Walgreens stores in the city, customers stopped in just to buy the iconic newspaper for one last piece of nostalgia.

The final print edition featured a picture of a hand holding a smart phone. The phone’s screen included an image of a woman looking at a table with the headline, “ChicagoDefender Moves Iconic News Content Digital.”

Mayor Lori Lightfoot took out a full-page ad in the final issue, thanking the Defender for its 114 years of service in its print edition.

“Very few publications have been as important to our community as the Defender” Lightfoot said in the advertisement. “The paper was the North Star for the Great Migration that brought the many generations of Chicagoans who made ours a world-class city.”

Once the largest African-American newspaper in the world, the Defender will move all of its content to its primary website for digital distribution.

Founded in 1905, the paper was designed to serve the interests of the Black community. It was a daily paper from 1956 to 2003 when it transitioned back to a weekly publication. As society progressed into the digital age the demand for the printed newspaper continued to lessen, causing the company to forgo its traditional spread.

Known as a leader in Black advocacy, the Defender accounts of life and opportunity in the North encouraged Blacks in the segregated South to come north during the Jim Crow era, inspiring what is known as The Great Migration.

Chicagoans shared their thoughts and concerns about the demise of the once highly regarded leader of the Black press.

The Crusader assigned staff members to the Walgreens at the Lake Meadows shopping center in Bronzeville, where they say some customers walked out of the store with a copy of the Defender. Some customers said ending the print edition was a good idea, others disagreed.

“It’s the biggest mistake. It’s cutting jobs and Black people depend on white people for everything,” said Eddie Muhammed, 90, of Ansonville, NC. But not all were as disappointed as Muhammed.

Some believe that the iconic newspaper will survive as a digital-only publication.

“I believe more people will have access to it now,” explained Daniel Ware, 39, of Chicago.

Many entered the drug store simply seeking to get their hands on the final printed edition of the Defender. “It’s sad that it also happened to Ebony and Jet.

I like to feel [something] when I’m reading. I like the paper in my hands, so I’m sad about it,” said Chicagoan Paul Ward, 78.

Reverend Jesse Jackson stopped by the Defender to provide his point of view. He discussed the many memories he had of the publication’s prime years and shared that he, too, is sad about this transition.

“I remember being in South Carolina to pick up the Defender and see stories on churches, events, models, news hard and soft. It was a training ground. Many great writers started at the Defender.

I respect the transition; I don’t feel good about it. I have such a tremendous respect about the Defender’s past, but I know that the digital release will expand its reach.”

Keeping Busy In The Chi

With my first two years completed at North Carolina A&T I have had on-campus experiences pertaining to writing news, interviewing and developing journalism skills. But I’ve never had the opportunity like the one Chevy Discover The Unexpected has given me this summer, to not only travel the country and develop genuine connections, but to also learn about our Black communities and the triumphs and downfalls that occur within them, that are rarely shared on a broader scale in the mainstream media.

Coast To Coast: L.A. To Chicago

After getting back to Chicago, my team and I prepared to attend ComplexCon, a convention hosted by a leading urban magazine. It is a leading convention in showcasing what’s trending in mainstream culture. It was a nice experience, but I realized that I’m not in touch with popular culture. From the fashion down to the hottest new artist(s), I feel like I’ve been living under a rock for the past few years. And you know what, I don’t care.

I Could Make Chicago a Thing

The Chicago Crusader has shown us a great time, and they have also been challenging me to do things that I am not naturally comfortable with. I’m actually a published journalist now, which is crazy because I am not a great writer, but it is still cool to say that some of my work has been published.

A Message to The Chevy DTU Fellows: Boot Camp Opening Remarks

Introducing Michelle Matthews-Alexander, Multicultural Marketing Manager at General Motors. Michelle has dedicated her career to enhancing major corporations’ relationship with diverse communities. Since joining GM in 2015, Michelle has not only advocated for, but helped spearhead Chevrolet’s Discover the Unexpected Journalism Fellowship program. In partnership with the National Newspaper Publishers Association, she and Chevrolet have invested in the future of Black Journalism while simultaneously supporting students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Now in its fourth year, the 2019 Chevrolet Discover The Unexpected program continues to provide opportunity to young journalists as they work to tell the stories that matter.

Hello Chicago!

With my first two years completed at North Carolina A&T I have had on-campus experiences pertaining to writing news, interviewing and developing journalism skills. But I’ve never had the opportunity like the one Chevy Discover The Unexpected has given me this summer, to not only travel the country and develop genuine connections, but to also learn about our Black communities and the triumphs and downfalls that occur within them, that are rarely shared on a broader scale in the mainstream media.

Hello Chicago!

Since the beginning of the journey I wanted the experience itself to be my “thank you” to the program coordinators. I treat each assignment, opportunity and encounter as a “thank you.” From delving into the depths of “The Green Book” and its comparison to our travel experience, to attending city press briefings I’ve learned that the way that we say “thank you” is through what we produce.

Hello Chicago!

Since starting with the Chevrolet Discover the Unexpected program, I have done many things I had not had the luxury of doing before. Driving the new Chevy Blazer that is part of the intern benefit, I have traveled and seen so much of the country I might never have seen. I have acted in commercials for Chevrolet and eaten crab cakes with celebrities DJ Envy and Fonzworth Bentley. It is just unbelievable how a year of hard work can take you places that you never dreamed of going.

Interns start at the Crusader

Tedarius Abrams, Sharon Joy Washington and Elae Hill are three young future journalists from HBCUs who started their internships with the Chicago Crusader on Monday, July 8. Blessed with a string of perfect summer weather, they have crisscrossed the city over the last three days, taking selfies at the Bean at Millennium Park and the Riverwalk, to marveling at the mansions of Obama, Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan and boxer Muhammad Ali.

Customers pick up final print edition of the Chicago Defender

Wednesday, July 10 marked the final print edition of the historic Chicago Defender. At some Walgreens stores in the city, customers stopped in just to buy the iconic newspaper for one last piece of nostalgia.

Life At The Chicago Crusader

Our first assignment for The Chicago Crusader was to attend the press briefing that Mayor Lori Lightfoot held for news publications in the area. It was inspiring to watch her control the room and exert her power as the first Black female mayor of such a prominent city. She even gave us a shout out!

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